Turkey abandons child marriage bill following outrage

Turkish women protest against a proposed government project in Istanbul on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

ANKARA, Turkey: Turkey’s justice minister says his government has abandoned a proposal which critics said would have allowed men accused of sexually abusing underage girls to go free.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had said the government had pulled back the highly controversial measure from the parliament floor and would submit it for a review by an all-party committee.
But Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that the government had now shelved the proposal and that it would come back on its agenda in the future only if all parties can reach a consensus.
Bozdag said: “the issue has been closed.”